Friday, June 08, 2012

Great timing, Oakland Athletics.
Players in the A’s clubhouse reportedly are upset with team management about a roster move involving Kila Ka’aihue, who was designated for assignment Wednesday. The team replaced him with Brandon Moss, brought up from Triple-A, just four days after giving Ka’aihue the starting job at first base.
Then there’s Ka’aihue’s wife, Blair, who is set to give birth to twins at any moment. San Francisco Chronicle reporter Susan Slusser notes that many teammates are shaking their heads over the timing and even the necessity of the change. A’s manager Bob Melvin said it was the best move for the club, as if he’d say anything different. The players, though anonymous to us, don’t agree:“Everyone is in shock,” one player said.
“Total horse” manure, said another.
Melvin said that Moss, who has hit 15 homers at Sacramento, had an out clause in his contract on June 15.
“Based on the fact he was doing what he was doing and a little bit of the lack of production that we’ve had here, we felt it was the right thing to get him here,” Melvin said.

Reader Comments and Retorts

Statements posted here are those of our readers and do not represent the BaseballThinkFactory. Names are provided by the poster and are not verified. We ask that posters follow our submission policy. Please report any inappropriate comments.

The "callous" move wouldn't bother except ... do they really think Brandon Moss is a better bet to produce than Kila? They're the same age, Moss hasn't played significantly in the majors since 2009 and Moss has a "career" 79 OPS+ in the majors and their minor-league track records are about equivalent. That the A's are in any way concerned about losing Brandon Moss says a lot about the organization. That they'd combine the move with bad PR is just icing on the cake.

What do the players think they should have done? If they wait a week or two, it's "they DFA'd a guy whose wife just had twins".

Sucks for Kila and family, but if having kids in the middle of the season is the sort of thing that lets a non-prospect who's not producing keep his job, I look forward to seeing the photographs from the Emmanuel Burriss-Octomom wedding.

They gave him an opportunity and he picked up a major league salary in a year when he's going to need the cash. I'm not sure what the A's are supposed to do here. I know it seems like they're a charity for noodle bats but I don't think that's the intent, just the appearance.

What do the players think they should have done? If they wait a week or two, it's "they DFA'd a guy whose wife just had twins".

Exactly. And at another angle, what if Moss actually deserves to get called up right now, but does not get the opportunity, because some guys wife is having twins? Does that seem fair to anybody? This is going to promote unprotected sex among marginal MLB players and their wives, in September and October of every year.

I can still hear "BoMel" (what is up with that? has he always been called that or did the A's just invent it?) talking from a couple days ago, how this was finally Kila's chance to play every day and show what he can do. I wonder if he knew and was just giving interview cliches (a la Bull Durham), or if he didn't know what was about to happen or might happen. I guess, either way, he has to stand there and talk positively about whomever.

Anyhow - I agree with Dan Shooty and bfan. Tough luck for Kila but the A's can run their team based on who's having babies.

And at another angle, what if Moss actually deserves to get called up right now, but does not get the opportunity, because some guys wife is having twins? Does that seem fair to anybody?

Just looking at the 2012 A's on BB-Ref, I'm having trouble seeing how they don't have room on their roster for both Kila and Moss. Kila has an OPS+ of 92 for the year, which is better than the guys BB-Ref lists as the A's starters at C, 1B, 2B, 3B, SS, and LF. Bench Barton and Crisp, move Seth Smith (listed at DH, OPS+ of 102) to LF, and play Moss/Kila at 1B/DH (no idea which split makes more sense).

Maybe they were reading the Mabinogion and thought they were calling up Bran the Blessed, High King of the Isle of the Mighty.

Barton's already gone and Crisp is getting paid too much to go to the bench for Kila.

Another problem is that Smith and Moss are both crap outfielders, so you play them at 1B/DH or you take a hit on D that undoes their batting advantage over Crisp. The PR is unpleasant, but from a baseball perspective this is an OK move. Moss was at least hitting at AAA.

Kila has an OPS+ of 92 for the year, which is better than the guys BB-Ref lists as the A's starters at C, 1B, 2B, 3B, SS, and LF. Bench Barton and Crisp, move Seth Smith (listed at DH, OPS+ of 102) to LF, and play Moss/Kila at 1B/DH (no idea which split makes more sense).

If Kila could play C, 2B, 3B, SS, or LF he would still be on the team. Unfortunately he can only play 1B, so he is not.

Kila has an OPS+ of 92 for the year, which is better than the guys BB-Ref lists as the A's starters at C, 1B, 2B, 3B, SS, and LF. Bench Barton and Crisp, move Seth Smith (listed at DH, OPS+ of 102) to LF, and play Moss/Kila at 1B/DH (no idea which split makes more sense).

Not only does it not matter what players at skill positions hit vs. a first baseman, the fact that he's hitting for an OPS+ of 92 this year isn't a plus, it's a negative. They need to find an above average hitter at 1B, and a guy with a career MLB OPS+ of 88 isn't a great bet.

I agree with this. If they had DFA Kila earlier and called up Moss nobody would have complained that they DFA a pinch hitter to call up a new 1B. But to say a guy isn't producing after 4 days isn't really fair in the minds of most players. I actually do think that if they had put him on paternity leave and then DFA him instead of taking him off it it would have been better PR since Moss would have done something in the interim. For that matter it gives them more flexibility in case Moss breaks a leg or something. Also it does not appear to be a move Melvin particularly liked.

Ka'aihue never got a chance to play. Brandon Moss blows and he doesn't even play the same position as Ka'aihue. In a vacuum the only point of this move would be to send the message "Ka'aihue, you are not a major league player and you will never be a major league player. Go start coaching high school." In reality apparently Moss was brought up so his "out clause" wouldn't be exercised, which sends an additional not-good message.

Is he now un-hurt, or less-hurt, or something?
I thought his newly-injured leg would keep him out at least a few days.

I thought it was just a tight hammy, and he's going to PH a couple games. Either way, A's team OPS+ up to 77, and CESPEDES!!!!!!!!!! part of the reason at 134.

I think it's as simple as the fact that Moss has been far better than Kila in 2011-2012.

That, and a guy who's lousy has no legitimate complaint even if he's replaced by someone even more lousy. If you want to keep your job, don't complain about the limited options your boss gambles on to replace you, just don't' be lousy.

Because he doesn't hit in AAA, I think is the unfortunate answer. We have been waiting for Taylor and Carter for years now - I am coming to grips with fact that they aren't going to make it. It makes me sad when we trade our stars for prospects that never even make the team. Taylor is who we have to show for trading Holliday, right?. Cardenas was the guy we got for Blanton and he was never even called up. Carter at least was only one of several prospects acquired for Haren.

EDIT: Have to L-O-V-E the Bailey trade, though. Reddick is the best player on the team.

Because he doesn't hit in AAA, I think is the unfortunate answer. We have been waiting for Taylor and Carter for years now - I am coming to grips with fact that they aren't going to make it. It makes me sad when we trade our stars for prospects that never even make the team. Taylor is who we have to show for trading Holliday, right?. Cardenas was the guy we got for Blanton and he was never even called up. Carter at least was only one of several prospects acquired for Haren.

EDIT: Have to L-O-V-E the Bailey trade, though. Reddick is the best player on the team.

All trades can't work out.

If Cardenas, Taylor and Carter turned out as well as Reddick, Selig would be trying to break up the As, and Beane would be working on his 3rd book.

Given the low percentage of success Beanes had trading for position players, clearly means if he wants to acquire more talent, he needs to increase his volume of trades.

I think it's as simple as the fact that Moss has been far better than Kila in 2011-2012.

Is this really true? Moss was doing well in AAA, but he wasn't Anthony Rizzo or anything. I don't know that giving Kila starts 4 days in a row and intermittent PA otherwise proves anything one way or the other.

Probably Derek Norris, with Choice and Green struggling.

There's also Addison Russell but you may not have counted him since he hasn't signed yet.

Is this really true? Moss was doing well in AAA, but he wasn't Anthony Rizzo or anything. I don't know that giving Kila starts 4 days in a row and intermittent PA otherwise proves anything one way or the other.

Kila had a .219/.295/.315 MLE in 388 PA in AAA last year and has hit .219.295/.367 in 235 MLB PA from 2011-2012. That's pretty awful for a 1B.

Moss had a .238/.313/.427 MLE in 506 PA in AAA last year and was hitting .286/.371/.582 (which should be a bit better than his 2011 MLE) in 224 PA in AAA this year. That's still not good for a 1B, but it's better than Kila. Kila was awesome in AAA in 2010, but he sucked in 200 PA in the majors that year and was mediocre in AAA in 2009.